Absolution and Ways to Live Without It
by Melancholia Avaritia
Summary: In which Absolution is necessary and almost unattainable, as three souls in a stormy world fight to calm a storm that cannot be tamed, in a world where the hope for change has died into flickering embers that flicker out as the winter of death approaches. The Warring Era never ended but a treaty is the easiest way to bind them all together. Who ever said marriage was simple?
1. Chapter 1

10/21/2014

Just an idea here, hope you enjoy it!

The warring states never came to end, the fighting continued on into the sky stained crimson and the land of the hidden leaf never grew from the great earth. Blood had stained the earth forevermore, a belief that has permeated the entire shinobi world. Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara never made an alliance and the great clans continued their blood feuds through the ages.

The great Senju clan and the mighty Uchiha clans continued to counter-balance each other, constantly warring against each other for reasons that had no meaning to them. They were merely the hired 'guns', cannon fodder for someone's war.

Real peace remains a legend, a story to keep young children innocent, until they shed the blood of another and become a fully-fledged shinobi. There is no room for innocence in this world, there is only room for the rivers of blood that feed it.

There had been a man, a 'traitor' to his clan who merely wanted peace and he had wandered past them many times, preaching the peace that the world needed but it was all in vain. The world had no understanding of peace. They took such a message of peace in but never could they put it into action. For one to step out into the light... was to risk a knife replacing their jugular.

So this world continues, in it's cycle of hatred and pointless, meaningless violence that has become the norm.

Until now, 10 years after the first meeting of Hashirama and Madara.

A treaty is being forged, one that will set a precedent or spark a war so deep it will consume their worlds. A marriage treaty between the Uzumaki, the Senju and the Uchiha. The children of these clans have agreed for the better good, to commit themselves to a fruitless and empty life, so as to ensure the peace of their world. With the three largest clans united as one, the power shift will be too much and the smaller clans, they hope, will be assimilated or crushed.

Three hopeful but totally radical people, with such conflicting personalities will change this world: for better or worse, there will be change.

Naru was a child between two different worlds. Her mother was a well respected and insanely talented kunoichi, a prime warrior of the Uzumaki clan. Her father, well. That was a whole different story. The Yellow Flash, renowned because so many had died by his hands, from her own clan and the others. They said that once you say the flash of Namikaze Minato, you were half dead already. But he hadn't killed her mother. Instead, he had healed her and somehow, something had happened there. A love as fierce as wildfire had sprung up and taken a hold of them, 10 months late Naru had been brought into the world: never knowing her father nor seeing his face.

But of course, one's legacy lives on. It lived on in the cold stares of her village when she was a child but they had faded after her first missions, as they watched her trudge back through the village gates, two members down and the blood they hadn't had time to wash off caked into the seams of their clothing. There was no room for bigotry when children sacrificed their lives for a meaningless battle.

But this was years ago. Now, Naru waited with as much composure as she could muster, in the Land of Iron and only hope was keeping her there. Her red-blonde hair is elegantly twisted up, adorned by only a single clip her mother had given her before she had stepped into this new adventure that would take her far away, into a life she had not knowledge of and a world beyond strange to her. But the formality of her attire ended there, there was no telling what could happen today and she only wore her normal attire, for if the opening procedure went without incident, only then would they continue this ceremony.

A marriage ceremony that went without a hitch? Yeah, whatever you say. It never had happened, not in their recent past and she doubted it would work. But a treaty was in place today and she would seal it, even with her death or his. They would seal it and together, change would be on the go. Their world would mend.

But a marriage ceremony of three people, each from warring and enemy clans? Forget going without a hitch, settle with pure anarchy as the norm.

"Mother, I do not-" The sound of shunshin filled the entry way, one-two..seven. The Senju clan, previously allies to them but not these days, not since the breaking of the treaty 67 years earlier. Naru had no clue as to the names of her betrothed as of yet, only the clans they belonged to and the marks of their clan position. She scanned the entering group rapidly, searching for what she knew to look for. There.

He was surprisingly gentle in the face, but although his face was solemn that moment, she could see laugh lines around his eyes and mouth. He looked kind but she had long ago learned to distrust kindness, it was a shinobi rule after all. She had no desire for more scars, not now and not ever. Dark eyes and dark hair, with the distinctive samurai armour of his clan, a rich clay red that was worn by most of his clan and fairly tall, compared to her own more common height.

Once again, the sound of seven separate shunshin filled the air and the Uchiha trickled in through a separate entry way and the stern faces of the Uchiha stormed the room. Once again, Naru did what she was taught to do and analysed him.

The Uchiha was distinctly... darker than his counterpart. Dark eyes, dark spiky hair but it was more than that. He had darkness inside of him, inside his very chakra and if she hadn't known better, she would have said it was evil. But it wasn't evil, nor was it insidious or anything like what she had heard of him. It was strange though, to see similarities between the samurai armour worn by the two men. The Uchiha wore blood red armour, built up on the shoulders with the Uchiha uchiwa fan on the back and the light blue clothes that were popular amongst his clan underneath the armour itself.

They were here, against her predictions and so, as was her right, she began the ceremony that would decide the outcome of this world they lived in.

"Here on the neutral territory of the Land of Iron, we are governed by the rules of the samurai, to make good the promises of our clans and unite as one to ensure peace for the generations to come and the children that will never have see life otherwise." She cast a quick, anxious glance to where her mother stood but at her gentle smile, continued on. "I am Uzumaki Naru and I have sworn for peace on the gravestones of six of my siblings to prevent this warring era, to never mourn child or siblings ever again in this world."

There was a similar sentiment she thought, in the eyes of her potential allies, a grief for people lost and stolen from their lives with the dull glint of a blade in the night. The Senju's face softened, the harsh lines of tension and grave solemnity fading away with a realisation. Such lines should never have come to be on the face of a man as young as him. The lines on his Uchiha counterpart's face only deepened, harsh lines that seemed as if carved in stone. His face grew harder, a even stonier expression taking over his countenance but not before the pain in his eyes could be suppressed fully. Loss and grief had left their mark, deeper than any wound any blade could inflict.

A deep voice broke the silence following her introduction, as the Senju heir stepped forward with open hands and he stopped a few feet from his clan, in the no mans land between the three groups in the meeting room. "I am Senju Hashirama, oldest son of the Senju line and for many years, I was the only one who spouted the 'peace nonsense' and wanted to change this world. I accept the offer of the Uzumaki clan and I will never bury a child again, nor cradle the body of my last remaining brother as he lies dying. The Senju clan agrees."

After such a statement, the pressure seemed to be on the dark eyed and dark mannered man who represented the Uchiha. A small exchange, silent but meaningful, ran through the group before the blood-armoured shinobi stepped forward, sandals clacking against the stone floor. He stepped into the no mans land in the same manner as the man she now knew as Hashirama, whose eyes filled with a strange pain at the sight of the Uchiha man.

"I am Uchiha Madara, oldest son of Uchiha Tajima and one of two still breathing children in my family. Like all clan children, I entered this war at a very young age and killed before my height was taller than my sword. I will agree, so that my younger brother will never die as my siblings have, one by one and alone on the battlefields. The Uchiha clan agrees."

This was more than Naru could have hoped for. She swallowed her sudden fears and bowed slightly to the two men whom had agreed, like her, to give up their lives for others. Her mother stepped forward, full of power and strength that Naru could only envy of her. Her rich voice filled the room, disapproval still evident and fear, for her daughter at the most and the safety of her clan at the least, still running in her voice.

"The samurai council has noted down this acceptance. Please step forward to dais, so that the treaty may be fulfilled as it was noted down at the meeting of clans two months ago."

Naru turned, her senses itching as she felt two presences come alongside her, as loath as she was to turn her back on the two men her body still considered enemies. She would not attack them but to feel comfortable beside these men? To chase off the shivers that raced down her back, as the men who might have killed her brothers and her sisters, who knew the ones who had. But whom of their siblings had she killed? She may have taken the life that had destroyed the empathy she thought had once existed in the dark eyes of Uchiha Madara. Had she destroyed the love between brother and brother that had carved such deep, harsh lines into visage of Senju Hashirama?

The ceremony was quiet, presided over by the General Leader of Iron Country and went, despite her second guesses, without incident. Naru would later look upon this day as the marking of a new history, the first time a treaty such as this had gone through. And that was it. She was now a married woman and she would forget any other love she had for another, entirely different man. For he would grow old in safety, marry another and live his days without the war that had destroyed his childhood and young life. He could forget her but never would he leave her, he was embedded in her heart and when the world around her turned against her, she would treasure it and think of what could have been but never was.

In a blur, with no words between the three of them, they were on the road once again and by the time her shock had worn off, they were once again at the border of their new country. Hi no Kuni, that was the name they had decided on. Konohakagure no Sato, the village hidden in the leaves. The Hidden leaf would one day rule this land, become a wide land of prosperity and safety. Or so the idea went.

The construction had been going on since the meeting of the treaty had been held, the workers already having constructed the tower that would be the centre point and of course, the shinobi residences that would house three clans -that hopefully would not kill each other- in the same building.

It was a sudden thing then, to be alone in a room with two men she nothing of except their bloody reputations and she it was the same for them as well. She had not earned the name of the Scourge by sitting at home twiddling her thumbs and doing nothing much. She had fought and killed and tortured to keep her land safe and who knew whom she had killed, whether they had been Uchiha or Senju.

It was the Uchiha who spoke first. Was she supposed to call him Uchiha-san or Madara-san? No-one had told her the intricacies of marriage yet, especially a political one and not one where she was married to two men who belonged to clans with a blood feud. But, no matter. He was speaking already.

"Hashirama, it is... interesting to see you once again."

They were friends perhaps once before? Had they met in battle, or on the diplomatic field? "Yes, I would say it was pleasant but perhaps that is the wrong word here. But I do believe we have neglected someone here. Uzumaki-san...?" His voice was less stoic now, tilting up into a surprisingly young air of confusion as he considered the same quandary she had pondered on.

"Naru-san is fine. We must learn to get along, after all." It was going to be a long time in this situation after all.

The expressions on the faces of her equals told her they were thinking the same thing.


	2. Chapter 2

10/22/2014

Naru managed for a few hours, tried her hardest to avoid the two men but when two flaring chakra signatures appeared on the edges of what she sensed to be the training grounds, she really had no choice. They were each in turn responsible for the actions of each other and they could not use the destructive jutsu such chakra required. She was halfway there by the time they had built up the final chakra stages. The ground ruptured under her feet and the air was vibrating with an energy far beyond that of the natural chakra of the area.

Men annoyed her sometimes. They were physically stronger and with the exception of some she knew, were as stubborn as goats and sometimes just as smart. They stood, contrasting chakra buffeting the land around them and the force of it made her send through her feet to anchor herself down to the ground.

With a frustrated sigh, she steeled her shoulders and called up the only thing she really had inherited from her mother.

It had started with a civil, if not tense, conversation between them but it had sparked some old ghosts from the past, two friends who had lost brothers and the cold dead in their arms could not be so easily forgotten now. But it ended very suddenly, with the unexpected attack from the outside. Golden chains wrapped up from the earth, static crackling along them like live-wires.

An irate Naru was on the other end of the chains, her arms crossed and her face set in an expression Hashirama would not have thought a woman, even a kunoichi and it sent a strange emotion through him. She had the same expression of his father, disappointed and frustrated. He had never seen the expression on anyone other than his father but it was just as humbling as his own father's countenance as a child. He deactivated his chakra, sighing as the chains loosened around him but did not let go, even as Madara did the same.

"Are you aware of what we are doing here?" Hashirama cocked his head at the question, confused as to the point of the statement. "We have a chance for peace here and you, the greatest leaders of your clans and the most influential, are fighting like children! We have all lost family in the past but this treaty will make sure no child will die before he marries and and no parents will fold the kimono right over left with trembling hands that cradled them as children scant years ago!"

The chains loosened around them yet again and retreated into her core once again, even as the anger in her eyes grew into a wildfire. "You fight like children but you are not. You are leaders and if you fight, what will stop this treaty from falling into pieces and war breaking once again?" She had begun to pace and in any man's eyes, a pacing woman was a dangerous one.

"I-i-"

She rounded on Madara, her face full of the rage that previously only existed in her eyes. "You! I have had enough of men like you. Sure, you want peace but you still want revenge for the lives taken! That is not peace, that is just a quiet war and a worse fate for the world. Get it into your heads: we cannot fight, even to settle old wounds! Now find when you have both grown up!"

They both only stare at her retreating back, before glancing at each other and flickering away after a few moments. They had much to think about, after all.

It took the rest of the already waning daylight for Naru to calm down but it was not true calm. It was cold, passive fury now. She could understand the want, the pure need to destroy her enemies. The killer of her youngest brother had stood behind her now husband during the ceremony, his red eyes as emotionless as when they took the life of Nanote and his pure white hair that had haunted her dreams still made her vision go red at the edges. She had considered it, during the ceremony. She could have killed him before anyone could react, sent her chains through his heart in seconds and she would have her revenge. But then her children would die for it, her clan would once again suffer the loss of so many lives and for what?

That a dead little boy would have his name stained with the bloody revenge that had started this entire war?

No, she would never stain his honour like that and it was this reason that fury had filled her when she saw the men fighting like children, though their reasons were valid. This was their chance for peace and by the Gods, she would not let them ruin it so soon. She found her feet carrying her to the waterfall behind the complex, a place she had already explored a little and it had instantly asserted itself as her favourite part of the compound. It was cool and dim and quiet, weeping willow fronds that gently grazed the calm water far from the falls themselves. It was the largest source of water for a while around and it was beautiful, a wild and untamed corner of the place that would be their village.

She took her time, wandering among the stone formations and the twisted, gnarly trees with their papery bark. She drew the outlines of seals on the rocks with a small piece of charcoal she found on the ground. Protection seals she wanted to place on the village once it was completed, stability seals, the whole shebang. She would protect this village, with every ounce of her being until she was dust: but still the village would stand. It would stand for safety and hope and a better future for all to come. No other child would die or kill, never would the innocent be drowned in blood, their own or otherwise.

She knew she had spent some time out here but the sun was setting as she finished up her seals, surprised at the length and complexity of the seals she had etched into the rocks and ground, even onto the edges of a few trees. There was emotion in the lines and she found herself grinning at the work she had produced, knowing it was a good base to work on and that someday, people would benefit from this.

She knew her being here would change everything: but perhaps she could prevent the wars she knew would one day tear the world into pieces, bit by bit and inch by inch.

"They are beautiful. What do they mean?" The voice was too sudden, too striking in the peaceful air and she was in the air, onto the water in seconds. It was Hashirama, his face both surprised and expectant of her reaction, his hands holding two cups of a liquid she presumed was sake.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to surprise you. I should have made some noise instead, to alert you to my presence. I have brought drinks, if that would help!" The enigmatic and surprisingly cheerful man took a seat on the ground, setting the saucers and sake bottle on the ground in front of him. With a wary glance and a sigh, she jumped back over the seals onto the bare earth, taking a seat across from the Senju warrior. "Thank you."

There was a brief silence, as they both reflected on their words and eyed each other carefully. They both sipped gently at the rice wine and she could only smile gently at the burning but soothing feeling of sake.

"They are protection seals, ideas I have for the village. I want to protect the village in anyway I can and as an Uzumaki, seals tend to be my forte. It's a two part seal, both offensive and defensive in turn." She was a little embarrassed at the lengths she had gone to but she would be creating a change, a way to protect the village she knew would grow into a world power that symbolised teamwork and hope, stubborn defiance against the odds no matter what was stacked against them.

Hashirama appraised the woman sitting across from him, strangely moved by the emotions that lurked beneath the tepid water of her eyes. She was an Uzumaki, the strangest of all clans and the one he knew the least about, apart from their unparalleled prowess with seals and the water jutsu that inspire their name. But she was something different. Something different than this time, there was a different notion of peace in her eyes. Like she had already known it and wanted it back.

"It's admirable, to want to protect others. It's where we get our strength from, after all." There was fire in his eyes, a fire that was echoed in her own heart and she could feel the connection between the two of them at that moment.

"Let's drink to that then. To Konoha and it's bright future!"

He echoed her and they spent a few minutes in silence, before she stood and shook off the dirt that clung to her pants with a few quick gestures. "Thank you for the drink but I must tend to a few internal affairs before we announce the fusion of our clans. I suggest you do the same, Hashirama-san." She stepped back and glanced at a nearby tree with a pointed look. "You too, Madara-san. We want this to go as smoothly as possible."

She began to wander back to the compound but turned with a grin, tossing the sake saucer to the dark haired Uchiha. "Here, share a drink as friends before you speak to your clans. Find a way out of your respective messes so we can begin to repair the world as a whole." There was a strange expression on the faces of the two shinobi but she just headed back to the compound without a second glance.

She would repair this. This world would never have the problems that had torn her future apart, never know the pains that destroyed the sensitive shinobi that would end up saving their world.

She had to.

Her clan was not happy. They did not trust their former enemies, could not see them as allies right now. But they trusted her, their leader and she could feel the pressure from such a burden. Such was the weight on the shoulders of a leader. She could see a similar sentiment in the faces of her marriage partners, a weight that made them square their shoulders and join hands with their enemies to create the peace they had dreamed of as children.

"The treaty is official, we three clans are one and the same now. So we come to the most important ideas now." She blinked as she realised it was her time to follow on from Hashirama's statement. She coughed gently and then swallowed as two thirds of the room aimed those same distrustful eyes at her. "We are one clan now and we all know the unsaid clan rules. One. You will not kill one of the clan."

Madara continued from her, his sharp eyes raking the crowd and showing the seriousness they had projected through all they had said. "Two. If you have a problem, you will seek the guidance of a clan leader. There will be no fighting, unless it is a spar both parties have agreed to." Once again, 3 sets of serious eyes swept the room and they could see their people shifting in their seats, as the rules began to hit into them.

"Three. History is history now. You may talk out an conflicts but punishment will fall swift on the perpetrators of any violences, no matter who it is against."

Naru smiled as the shinobi hall filled with noise in the minutes after their brief speech, as she too relaxed into her chair and massaged her temples, wishing Sakura was here- She cut herself off there, knowing it was pointless to wish such a thing. She would likely never see them ever again, never feel skin underneath her fingertips like she had with him. Silky hair that was way softer than it had always looked would never run through her fingers again and she could feel a lump like tears pressing up into her throat and she coughed, almost feeling like she was choking on something.

She was out of the hall in seconds, through the corridors until she could feel her control slipping from her grasp and she sunk against the wall, too tired to be strong now. There was no one around to witness her tears now and so they flowed in gentle trails.

"Why aren't you here? Why did you let me go by myself?" It was quiet but it was all she could say to herself. Was she talking into the future? The past? Where did those mismatched eyes belong now? They were past and the future, though they could never be her future now.

She returned mere minutes later, with a flippant excuse to the concerned clan members who questioned her and the two men at the main table who gave her strange looks.

She hadn't noticed the presence around the corner, who had listened to her private sorrows and the puzzle that was Uzumaki Naru had only grown even more twisted and confusing.

Just who was she?

**Okay, chapter two is up and ready!**

**I have a plan with all this confusion but please stick with me until it makes sense! There would not be a story if you knew all the pieces!**

**Hope you like it and thank you all for your review, all two of them and the favourites were very nice to receive!**

**Thanks guys!**


	3. Chapter 3

10/23/2014

The air is choked with ash and the light of the stars is the only thing lighting her way, as the absence of the moon has thrown the world out of balance.

She calls out into the darkness, voice soft but carrying to the ears of the one she knows waits in the shadows. "5?"

A low, rough voice answers her, though it sounds wet and raspy as it answers. "9!"

It's an old code, used for many years by a village razed by a mad man. '9' for all clear, '3' for internal disturbances encountered, '6' for keep watch. Not she had worked in a team in the past few years. They were the only ones left from Konoha, most likely in the entire land of fire.

Uchiha Madara had been thorough, as the forest that had given Konoha it's name was razed on that same day. The air was filled with the choking sense of dust, that blocked out the starlight and the majority of the warmth of the sun during the day. There was no longer the earthy, pine-tart smell that had made Konoha what it was. With a quick burst of her legs, Naru jumps up and over the rocky outcrop that is their base. It has been for a few months now, since the madman known as Madara had tracked down their last one- taking out the last few others Naru still treasured in this world and left her alone with-

"Kakashi."

The silver-haired man turns towards her, the mismatched eyes carefully ensuring her safety, even as the hidden grief in them is hidden away. "Naru. Anything?"

She looks away, eyes darting around to look at anything but his eyes. "He's coming. He'd been coming towards us for a while, getting our signatures into focus. I-i."

She bows her head against his chest, even as tears threaten to escape her eyes. But there is no time for tears now, not now and never again in this time.

"I don't want to go. I don't want to leave you here and go by myself. I-I-I love you too much to let this go." They don't say it often, just a few times but it was always understood. In every gesture and word, love was an ever-present thing in their life. But now they would be parted forever.

It had been a joke, an offhand comment she had not even considered. Something along the lines of wishing she was as smart as her father, so she could turn back time. But the idea had stuck with Kakashi, the thought twisting into his mind until they had made such an idea a reality.

So Kurama will take her back, at the cost of his existence but she won't stop to think of it, just as she cannot bear herself to look at the suicide tags are litter the rocky outcropping like fallen cherry blossoms. This is an end, for everything they have fought for but she will fix it. She will fix it because she knows this war can be stopped. Knows it in the inner most parts of her being, that the loss of everything she treasures and loves will happen once again: unless she can change it all. Revert it as if it had never even happened in the first place.

But where would they belong then? These memories she both cherished and despised? There were her past and would become a hazy dream of the future, in which she would never meet this Kakashi but Konoha would stand once again through the ages unending.

She sighs as a hand plants itself on her yellow-red tresses, fingers sifting through them as they did often. "I miss your golden hair but you look like your mother now, even more so since you activated the chakra chains." Mismatched eyes stare straight at her, even as she can feel the gravity of the situation set in and the grief that has played on her for months is coming to fruition. She will never see this face again, never love another as deeply as this and she tells him so.

"No." There is a fierceness in his tone, a warning and a deep love that both urges her on and terrifies her with its intensity. "Promise me that you won't do that."

How can he ask that of her? To fall in love, forget him in the new, pure world she is about to fall into and fix? "No-"

"Promise me!" There is moisture in his eyes now, not a weakness but his strength at that moment, even as his hands hold her face steady between them. "You have to love again, you can't forget but don't you dare torture yourself with my memory. Don't be a baka. No Warring shinobi of that time will ever be me."

No, no, no. It's not supposed to be like this. She won't betray him like that! But he can read her face, like he always could and just as clearly as the words printed in those porno-books he had been ever so fond of. " I don't want to. I want this to last forever, I don't want to go."

Soft lips meet for a last kiss, and she knows it will be the last. The faintest edges of malicious chakra have begun to wind themselves into the area, dark and evil. She meets his passion with everything she has, everything she can give and then, pulls away and clutches a tattered, bloodstained book to her chest. It's a cruel thing but it's the only thing she will take with her, its orange cover will be sealed into her.

"Good bye, Kakashi. See you at the other side, as soon as I get there. Love you."

His answer is as soft as the wind but as she weaves the seals that will consume Kurama, his plan of course, she smiles through her tears.

Always.

She awakes in a world of bright colour and sounds that hurt her mind, she can't reconcile with her memories. It takes her only a short moment of contemplation to realise what has happened.

It has assimilated her into her new world, to mask her seamlessly into this world so she cannot be found out or exposed. She is a part of this world now but she is far from ordinary. She is but a babe now, though it works in her favour.

The young years last only a short while it seems to her, a blur of light and colour and sensations as her body adapts but her mind is constantly adapting, learning everything she can.

She's regarded as a genius child when she manages to form her chakra when she is five and she can tell it unsettles the elders of Uzushiogakure, and her mother in her heart she thinks. It's funny, because somehow her own parents are incorporated into this world in unfathomable ways. They have been seamlessly slotted in, so she is a foundational part of this new world she has found herself in.

It seems this time traveling thing has a sense of irony too, has held onto one of the things she misses least of her old life. Her village once again has a prejudice against her, this time for the one thing that redeemed her in the eyes of Konoha: Namikaze Minato, the Yellow Flash.

But yet again, she strives against it. And she wins once again, until she fought as head of her clan against insurmountable odds and came out on top. Then she is back where she was before. The figurehead of a war against evil for peace but there is not evil here, just a world divided that could be united.

And that is her goal, her main reason for being here and then, once it is all done, she can fade into the silence. The village will be built on the strong foundations of the Senju and the Uchiha, like it should have been. She will fix what she can and then it's their job. She cannot change their minds but by the Gods, she will try her damnedest to influence them.

And maybe, just maybe, this will all be worth it.

It's late into the night by the time she finally makes her way through the compound and into the main house area that houses her living quarters. Which she now shares with two men.

Damn it, why couldn't her life just be simple? She should have been a fisherman's wife, not a shinobi. But she would not be here.

She would have died in the initial attacks on Konoha, never would the world be changed otherwise.

So here she was. Married to the man who had built it all up and the man who would once day kill the man she loved unless she could change him. And she didn't have long now, maybe a few years at most. She wouldn't push it, she knew that would not work. They could not be pushed into change, otherwise everything would crumble before long.

The two men in question arrived just behind her, and they all enter the room, the darkness melting away as Madara gently coaxed the candle flames higher to light the room.

A single bed was the first thing she saw and she sighed in resignation, knowing she would not sleep well anytime soon, not occupying the same bed as her newest allies. Sure, she knew from the future that these two men would change the world but she had relived a life here, lost so much and gained very little in comparison. She had lost everything anew and she could not just trust these men.

"Thank you both for this." They both look at her, both faces curious but it was hidden to differing degrees. She doesn't extrapolate on her strange expression of gratitude but enters to the small bathroom adjoining the rooms with a quiet snick of the door and changed quickly, into a long shirt and long pants, loose but equally as practical. She emerged to see the two men had done the same, as they both looked over her and she knew they could see the unobtrusive weapon pouch she held in her hands and that would stay on the bench. Quickly braiding her hair, she found her spot in the centre of the bed and found the degree of anxiety shot up once again.

She was only a woman in this time and every woman feared to some extent the contact with a man she had known for such a small time as a day.

She lay with her eyes open and she could feel the men on either side of her in the same position, unwilling to relax. So she took the dive, letting her body curve gently to the right and relax minutely.

Sleep claimed her as she felt the men next to her begin to relax in turn.

Step 1 complete.

Okay guys, how'd you like it?

I really hope you liked it!

Thank you for your awesome reviews (with the exception of the one who targeted my sexuality in a cowardly post.)!

I hope you like this chapter, short as it may be but I hope it has begun to solve the puzzle!

The flashbacks will become more common as we go!


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or receive any profits from writing this, unless reviews are now a currency. However, I would still be dirt poor in any case.**

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><p>AaAaAaAaAaAaAa<p>

The next morning dawns early, earlier than usual and she can feel the heat of summer in the faintest echoes of the spring. The waterfall truly is her favourite place here and most have come to know she is to be found there when not on duty. She trains, meditates and relaxes here, as she breathes in the pure tranquility that is ever present in this place. She should be training but the spring sun is warm on her skin, so warm she is loath to move from its embrace.

It has been three days now, of tense nights and days spent avoiding the eyes of most of the compound. It was only a matter of time after all, until someone came to break her out of her dazed life.

"You should train you know."

Despite her every instinct screaming for her to run, she has learned to recognise the voice of each of her partners. She merely cracks an eye open as she shifts against the trunk that supports her.

"I should." That much was obvious but what is coming next is quite a surprise.

"Would you like me to train with you?" She sits up in a few seconds, both eyes trained with a hint of wary caution on the form of Uchiha Madara.

She doesn't understand this Madara. The Madara of her time was predictable, always cunning and cruel, no humanity left to grace his presence. But this Madara is still human, with a little kindness in his eyes and the hope for peace that had long since shattered in her future. He's antisocial and gets on her last nerve, though she never shows it but the rivalry between Hashirama and the Uchiha before her is no longer quite as fierce, though the anger is present between them.

She stands slowly, stretching out her back as she does so and grins at the release of tension. "Okay, let's do this."

She jumps back then, automatically unsealing her weapons pouch and the katana sealed within her arm seals. A fierce grin overtakes her and she cocks her head sideways at the stoic Uchiha, a competitive streak a mile wide beginning to rise to the surface.

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

She didn't wait for an answer but leaped across, sword already moving.

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><p>Madara was surprised, however well he hid it. This woman was not ordinary woman, even with her nickname of the Scourge. No, she was strange beyond that.<p>

It was if she knew his moves, inside and out. She reacted as if she had seen them time and time again, merely melted fluidly out of the reach of his gunbai as if she had done it a thousand times.

She was fast too, with the silvery-white blade actually rather difficult to see in the light of the sun, for all that it glinted like a jewel.

They sparred and trained for a few hours or so, until both of them were not quite puffed but definitely not breathing easily. They had been fighting hand to hand most of the time, with a few katon jutsu from him and equally powerful suiton from the Uzumaki woman across from him. He had not noticed before but she was covered in seals, seals that had been covered by the sleeves of her kimono and clothing previously.

The pure black swirls were visible down, as the heat had driven her to remove the long sleeves that had previously hidden her arms. And if the curling gestures of ink around her shoulder were anything to go by, they continued down yet again after that.

There was the brief spurt of chakra as Naru resealed her weapons and began collecting the few kunai around them from the spar. There is a wariness to her movements, an silent distrust that he really should have expected. And she is too broken, for her eyes say she has lost everything. Uzushio is still standing, so what is she mourning. The red-headed woman sits against the tree once again, unsealing everything and beginning to sort it, most likely taking inventory at the same time.

He sat down across from her, reaching forward and beginning to count the explosive tags, one by one. He doesn't know what possessed him to help but maybe he can get some information out of this.

"70 of these." He places them beside the other items already assessed, before reaching for a pile of razor sharp kunai and counting them too.

They are nearing the end of their spontaneous inventory session when he picks up a tattered and blood-stained book, which strangely appears to be a romance novel. He looks at the book and then at the young woman across from him, unable to see her reading it. It has old blood on it as well, so old that the stain has faded and the pages have begun to crinkle at the edges.

"You don't seem like the type."

Her head whips up and so fast he can barely see it, the book is safely in her hands and she is holding it in her hands and-

-The pain in those eyes is something he can understand, if just barely. It is a raw and terrible grief there, as wild and untameable as the ocean. It's a deep sorrow, for loss and love and something unattainable-

It is clutched to her heart, as close as possible it seems to him. She seals into a seal above her heart, a deep and intricate seal, the meaning of which he will probably never know.

"It's not mine. It belonged to someone else." She offers no further information and he requests none, doesn't need to. There is no need but if they ever face each other in battle, at least some weakness is there. Something exploitable is always good to have.

They finish quickly, only a few minutes after and Naru seals it quickly into various seals across her body. She stands then and he stand with her, then without words they begin to walk back to the compound. Madara watches her from the corner of his eye, making his final judgements. He knows the woman is dangerous but she lacks the ruthlessness, he believes, to live as a leader in this time. Though, perhaps she hides it. He doesn't know.

But he finds out soon enough.

It's been three days now and nothing further than a few little fights but the nighttime meal throws up their first challenge, as two men begin to argue and as it comes to physical action, Naru is there in a flash, holding back her own man and she speaks in a low, hard voice next to his ear.

"Strike him to kill- and my blade will do the same to you." She hates to say, hates hates hates. But it is necessary to do it, to secure peace and prosperity, weeds must be poisoned or planted into better soil.

She turns back to return when she hears the snick of metal and the wrenching noise of a blade through flesh.

With a glance, she can see Hashirama already healing the Uchiha man who had been attacked. In another moment, she is standing above Umai Hikare with her blade drawn and an unreadable expression on her face. There are no second chances for a traitor and she tells him so, watches his face go white before her blade pierces his chest.

She still hates killing but it is a secondary thought, as she turns to men and women who stare at her in shock, silence covering the entire room.

"The punishment for defying your clan leader is death, as it has always been. Remember this!" She sheathes the sword in a quick flick and feels the oily blood flick onto her face as she does so. "Any one want to discuss it with me?"

She doesn't even wait, just turns on her heel abruptly and makes her way out of the room, food long forgotten and she is breathing faster and faster by the time she rounds the corner. For the second time in a week, she runs from everything and just weeps, uncontrollably and harshly.

But this time, she isn't alone.

A hand reaches down in front of her, a dark red cloth in it and she takes it without thinking, as the owner crouches next to her. And for a moment, it's all she can do to stop herself from embracing him. Spiky white hair catches her attention immediately, memories of another man superimposed over the top but it isn't quite him.

She searches her memory, trying to connect this youthful face with a name. Tobirama, she thinks it is. The Nidaime Hokage. Or, at least, he will be the Nidaime. And though she saw him when he was reanimated, this version of him is different. Less world weary, a little more trusty and like everyone she knew as their future selves, just a little kinder. She wipes the blood from her face, then tucks the folded piece of fabric in between her flak jacket and her shirt, making sure it doesn't touch blood onto her jacket.

"Tobirama, right?"

There is a brief pause, and by the time he answers, she has thought he hadn't heard her.

"Yes. Uzumaki Naru, right?" The answer is soft but there's a semi-familiar edge of snark and not-quite competitiveness there. There is no change in expression on the tattooed face and she copies the expression, adopting the overly stern attitude of the boy next to her.

He cocks an eyebrow her but glares as she copies that movement too.

"What do you think you're doing?" There's a slight annoyance behind the words and just a hint of bewilderment at her odd behaviour. She doubts anyone has been this silly with him all his life, even perhaps his own brothers. How else had he developed such a snarky, quiet attitude.

"I'm imitating you, Grumpy-san. It's not too hard though." What ensues next will stay with her forever, just so she can laugh at it for all eternity. One eyebrow waggles up then down, until both eyebrows do it and she can't help the laugh that bubbles up out of her. She gets the distinct feeling this is entirely out of character for the white haired man/boy and she is right, if the expression on his brother's face is anything to go by.

"Ah, Hashirama-san! I have just met your brother, such a character and you never introduced me!" She's in a strange mood, somewhere between grieving for a loss so great and a bubbling happiness that scares her, scares her because of what it might mean. She's about to snap and so she bids the two good night and wanders back to her room, where she weeps against the door frame, too tired to keep this up. She's hidden this for eighteen years now and she couldn't keep it up. She's out cold before long, stuck in nightmare ridden sleep.

She senses the two as they enter the room but she doesn't react, her mind overriding itself. She slept on, not quite in peace but the greatest of terrors is over.

If she cries in her sleep, neither of the two let her know.

She's grateful that they don't.

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><p>AaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAa<p>

Time skip now!

AaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAa

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><p>It's been three months, three tireless months of the same old day. There are clan meetings now, every second night and after the first few, they had a list of names to look out for. The people who complained about everything, especially having the other two clans near. 3 months of sleeping, if fitfully and not quite calmly, in a bed with two others she still did not understand. She'd made headway, sure but that was it. It was like trying to understand and predict the wind, an impossible task for almost anyone.<p>

But Naru was getting there. She was an unpredictable kunoichi, as most had figured out by now.

And then there was Tobirama. Out of everyone from this time and from opposing clans, he was the only one she truly got along with. He was anti-social, antagonistic and often belligerent. But he was the kindest out of all the warriors of the Senju, despite his hard outer appearance and the intimidating manner with which he conducted himself. He had a heart of fire, a truly warm, protective fire that she could see one day becoming the epitome of every Konoha shinobi's will of fire.

They had become fast friends to put it simply and she could not remember finding a better confidant during this timeline, not even her mother. For all her mother's love and care, she was a practical and brusque woman, not quite known for her capability in dealing with difficult emotions. Not unlike Jiraiya, as odd as it sounded. He had been her parent figure for a long time, the 'father' figure if she had to put a name to it. Tsunade had been her mother, through and through. She had been belligerent and easily annoyed but through all of it, she had drawn the Uzumaki into that sensitive hug every time. Neither of those two people deserved what they got-

_-Tsunade's body is crushed, the wet gurgle of blood audible as she gasp for breath and the cavern that was her ribcage is struggling to rise. Naru wants to look away, she so desperately wants to look away but she can't and there is so much blood, on the sand around her and in the soft waves that lap at the edges of her mother's toes and there is too much-_

-And she will never forgive the harsh eyes that did this to her mother, the red sharingan that had watched lazily as the life was sucked out of from the bravest woman she has ever known.

"Naru?" A questioning voice sounds beside her and she blinks at the red eyes that watch her with guarded emotions. No-one else at the council has noticed but trust Tobirama to notice it.

"It's nothing."

His expression shows his disbelief but he drops it quietly.

She hopes she can explain someday. She probably won't get to.

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><p><strong>Ah, hello there!<strong>

**Thanks for reading on and I hope you enjoyed it! This is the last of my pre-written chapters that I had ready to post and I thank you all very much for sticking this far!**

**Does anyone else have the same fascinated love for Senju Tobirama or is it just me?**

**As I am currently in my final year of HSC, I will try to stick to my posting schedule but this may not work too well.**

**So far, my posting schedule for this story is: Every Tuesday or Wednesday, with an additional chapter on Sunday if I have time!**

**Also, there is a poll on my profile (re:Pairings) for this story but feel free to vote here as well.**

**Choices are:**

**Madara**

**Hashirama**

**Both of the above**

**Tobirama**


	5. Chapter 5

It's strange, to not see the gentle eyes of Hinata or the strangely kind gaze of Neji from within the group that Konoha is currently deliberating with but she shrugs past it. The Hyuuga have come, as they did in the past and they sit in their deliberation, across from the Konoha delegation she has hand picked.

Of course, Hashirama and Madara sit beside her but she is the conductor of this meeting, as she sought out this clan. The Konoha that grows in the future will do so under the watchful eyes of the Hyuuga. That is, if she can get an answer out of them anytime soon. Madara is strangely fidgety next to her but in her time, the Uchiha had always disliked the Hyuuga. Perhaps because their bloodlines were on such different paths, who knew.

"Hyuuga Hitoshi-dono, we require your verdict on this matter." It's a polite statement, on the surface at least but her voice is threaded with the tempered steel of a demand and the white eyed man appraises her with his featureless gaze.

"We accept your offer, Uzumaki-dono, Uchiha-dono, Senju-dono. If you would grant a position on the Council, then we would be most grateful." The proud clan head seemed to bury his pride and slipped into a deep bow, bordering of dogeza or a kowtow, before he straightened.

With a quick nod and a shallow but no less respectful bow, she stood and invited her equal to do the same. "Hyuuga-dono, you may join us at the Council meetings, as is the right of every clan of Konoha. Please feel free to begin moving into the compound today and join us for the evening meal, as it's the only formal meal of the day."

With another affirming nod to the white eyed clan, she turned on her heel and made her way towards the main hall, sensing the rest of the meetings occupants come out after her.

As her partners exited, she drew them aside and glanced at the retreating Hyuuga with their straight, proud backs. "What are your opinions on this matter?"

Madara was the first to answer after a short perusal of the leaving clan, even as his dark eyes scanned them for danger. "I don't distrust them, I believe they will keep their word. But there is something about that kekkei genkai that grates against me."

Hashirama nodded from beside him, eyes thoughtful and thoughts obviously a little further ahead in time. "I agree, they will help bring safety to the village once it is formed. That dojutsu is sure to come in handy when scouting for enemies. Though I could feel nothing from such a kekkei genkai."

With a thoughtful nod, she thanked the two men and continued on her way across the outdoor courtyard, deep in thought. She just hoped this would work properly, that Konoha would one day be held up by the **five **great clans. A strong foundation, to keep the roots free of decay and the tree strong as could be.

This time, there would be no war. There would be no Danzou, try as he might to up end the world into chaos. No, there would none of that, even is she had to kill him herself. He'd be a child, not world weary but she would dirty her hands to save her world. But would she doom it that same moment? She could easily become the enemy here, a killer and no longer a hero, doing what was right.

But next was the Nara clan, lazy but skilled.

And they didn't need to be contacted after all. They already knew they were here, building on the edges of their land.

She'd seen the deer, poised gracefully at the edge of the forest and she swore the shadows flexed and buckled at the edges, on the 8th day of her residence here. And like the elegant creatures that they were, the noble deer had sprung off into the deep of the forest. With that, her problem of trying to contact the Nara had been solved. But who knew what extra information the buck's watchful eyes had gleaned and how they would react to this?

It was, as her Tactical Commander had reiterated to her many times before his death, troublesome. _Mendokuse_.

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The village was starting to take shape now, finally. After months of toil and hard work from everyone in the village, it was beginning to look like a village. A total of eight districts had been erected so far, each with very little detail added but they would wait for merchants and civilians to arrive. And they soon began to do so, heading in from all directions and fell the Hyuuga watchmen to scan for shinobi amongst the travellers.

A village was beginning to crop up here and despite her quarrels with the men she accepted as her husbands, she was glad for the smiles that adorned their faces. The three stood on top of what she knew would one day be the Hokage Monument, watching with fond eyes the hope and peace that they had achieved.

"I know I said I wanted peace but deep in my heart, I wasn't sure if we'd ever make it happen." The two shinobi nodded in agreement, still perhaps doubting their own eyes. There was still conflict but here, in the very centre of Hi no Kuni, peace was emerging as a new hope. Civilian trade caravans had set up shop already, giving the newly minted village a much more meaningful liveliness. It was nice, to see the faint echoes of a village she knew would prosper in the times ahead.

"We need to decide on a leader for this village."

It had been an unspoken question amongst the three of them since the beginning but it was the first time one of them had brought the admittedly sensitive topic out into the open air. With a quick glance at the two next to him, Hashirama continued on in his dogged fashion.

"I don't want us to do it on our own. So I'm suggesting a compromise, to split the job up between the three of us. That way, we aren't stuck doing everything ourselves with no support."

They mulled the idea over in their thoughts, still looking over the village that depended on them. Naru herself was all for it, wanting to make a difference and a change in this world. But would Madara agree to such a thing? Fortunately, Madara replied before she could agonise over such an idea.

"I agree with that, definitely. Hashirama, you could handle internal conflicts and domestic issues, since you actually enjoy that." There was a brief expression of humorous guilt over the Senju's face before he laughed it off. "Naru-san could be in charge of diplomacy, as well being Second Commander of the Military section, which we all have a position in. I'd like to think I'd suit the military role, perhaps making an internal peacekeeping force inside the walls?"

There was much to be thought about in that statement, many old ideas to be challenged and fought against if it were to work. With a slow, thoughtful nod, Naru turned to her fellow leaders and grinned with a feeling of strong protectiveness. "To the Hokage then."

There was a brief moment, a silence that told it's own story before a similar wave of strength seemed to pass over her fellow Kage.

"To the Hokage."

There was a thrill in the air then and Naru knew something had just been changed in this timeline, something that would change history itself. Who knew? Maybe she had just saved them entirely?

Or doomed them all.

Really, it was up for debate right now.

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Tobirama was a quiet man, as he had been as a child and would stay for the rest of his life. He'd been called arrogant, which was fair and a bloody warrior, also true. But no one, not even his enemies, had dismissed him as unintelligent. He both loved and hated his curiousity, though why people saw them as the opposites was beyond him. They were just emotions, both equally intertwined into his life and their world.

But when a mystery such as this was presented to him, he could not shy away from it even if he tried.

She was an enigma, unexplainable and strangely out of place, in this harsh and untamed world. He'd seen the look in her eyes, the longing gaze of someone who wanted hope beyond anything. Eyes that missed peace but never in this era had any of them experienced true peace. But there was a conviction to her manner, a deep feeling of strength and duty that emanated from her whenever she spoke of what the future would bring. Once, when they spoken in great detail of the future, she had said something that had confused him, given what he knew of her life.

'I'm too tired to hope, too tired to love. It'll only lead to pain later on, but peace will be the product of this village.'

There was such a deep conviction within her, to bring peace through a strong hand and an even stronger spirit of what she called the 'Will of Fire'.

He liked the sound of that.

**Well hello there everyone!**

**It's Tuesday guys, welcome to the 5th instalment of my latest story, which is currently consuming my mind with ideas but not exactly sure of a concrete, set in stone plot quite yet. So everything is developing as we go!**

**So far, Madara/Hashirama/Naru is winning as a pairing and so it's seems such a pairing is most likely.**

**However, I am working on a special project under the heading of TobiramaxFem!Naru, which is especially special.**

**Hope you enjoy this, I do apologise for the short nature of this chapter but I have definitely enjoyed writing this so far!**

**Ja!**


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